Stapling machine



Dec. 21, 1948. c. c. STUEWE STAPLING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheetl Filed Aug. 23, 1945 INVENTOR. (1A ref/v65 C- STUEWE ATTORNEY Dec. 21, 1948. c. C.,STUEWE 2,457,006

STAPLING MACHINE Filed Aug J35, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Y INVENTOR. CZAIFE/VCE csruswz Byy. a

ATTORNEY I Patented Dec. 21, 1948 UNITED S TATES PATENT O FFICE STAPLING MACHINE Clarence C. Stuewe, Cleveland, Ohio Application August 23, 1945, Serial No. 612,172

6 Claims.

1 Elhisinventlon relates to improvements in :stawing-"machines and :more. particularly to improvements for supports for stapling machines such as is described in the patent of Joseph A. Forgey, No. 2,360,484, of October 1'7, 1944.

As. is well known to those versed in the art, it has become the practice to provide stapling machines which may be used for driving staples through the barrel hoops and 'staves into the barrel head. More commonly, such machines are used to drive staples which secure the head into the barreland also to hold a cleat in its proper place on the. end of the barrel. In this respect, after "the barrel head is placed in position. with the edge of the barrel head extending in-togrooves in the staves, a steel or wooden hoop placed around the staves at the chime of the barrel and the staples are .then driven through the hoop and the staves into the head of the barrel. This may be eflected by the use of a machine as. disclosed in the. aforesaid patent. I

The machine for driving the staples is provided with .a supporting member in-the nature of a foot; which is sometimes called a segment, that. rests on top of the barrel and the staple driving mechanism is supported by the segment in its proper positionwhere it overhangs the-edge of the barrel in such a manner that when the mechanism is operated, the staple is forced by .the mechanism through the hoop and the barrel staves into the head.

"one of the problemsinsuch mechanisms is to provide proper alignment of the stapling machine. with the head so that the staple will go into the head at .the'edge thereof without being so close to the upper or lower surface of thehead that it would split the material and thus weaken the hold of the staple. The problem is made more difficult because the barrel heads are not all of the same thickness. Ithas 'been'found therefore that the staple entered the head either nearer to the. top or nearer to the bottom, depending upon the thickness of the head. This, made it necessary to design a number of different segments for thespecific type of headbeing secured and for the workman to select a particular segment f or stapling a particular head.

By the present invention, I have made an improvement in a segment or foot which enables the one segment to .be used to. drive. stakes into either metal or wooden cleats. Tothis end my invention contemplates provision of thesegment which adjustable so that the stapling head of the machine may be placed .at any point for staplingand the staples thus properly aligned 2 to enter the head in itsv mid portion. Further! more, with the present invention, it is possible to use, it regardless of the size of cleats normally used, and because of the construction of the seg ment lends more stability to the device enabling the driving of the staples to be better controlled.

In connection with the use of wooden cleats, it will be appreciated that it is often desirable to drive the staple through the hoop and stave into the end of the cleat which is above the head. In this respect, the device of 'myin-ventionadaptsitself readily to. such procedure which previously could not be effected by the prior art devices,v that is, a stapling machine adapted for driving-- the staples into the head could not drive, without auxiliary apparatus, staples into a wooden cleat.

Although I have stated that the invention is used for-stapling barrels, it will be apparent that it can also be used for stapling barrels, kegs. drums, and other containers.

Other aspects of the invention and the invention itself will become more apparent from the following description of an embodiment thereof. which description is illustrated by the accom: panying drawings and forms a part of. this specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is .a fragmentary side view of a stapling machine disposed on top of a :barrel with portions of the machine and barrel broken away to show the manner of its cooperation with barrel head;

Fig. 1A is a plan view partly in section of the device of Fig. 1 taken on the line lA-IA of Fig. 1;

Fig. 2 .is a front elevational view of the device removedfrom the stapling machine;

Fig. 3 is a side view thereof;

Fig. .4 is a plan view of the device with the stapling machine removed and illustrating the position taken during the stapling of the staves to the barrel head; and

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the position taken by the device when stapling the staves to. a cleat.

Referring now to the drawings throughout which like parts have been designated by like reference characters, as best .shown .in Fig. 1, the apparatus comprises a stapling head I whichcarries a magazine 2 for the staples and is providedwith the. arm 4 which assists in supporting; the

machine in its upright'position by engaging with the top of the barrelchime. Thestapling-mecns anism is operated by .a hand lever 5 connected.

at 6 to the staple driving mechanism, The "staple driving mechanism can be of any well known type, one such mechanism being clearly shown and described in the patent to Robert F. Stepbach, No. 2,303,509.

As previously stated, the arm 4 assists in holding the machine in its upright and properly aligned position. The bulk of the weight of the machine is supported by the segment which may rest directlyon the barrel head and holds the machine"in. its proper position. As shown in Fig. 1, the head includes a pair of side plates I betweenv which the staple driving mechanism is carried and which extend rearward over the barrel chime and are connected to the support 4. These plates extend downwardly as indicated at 1' in spaced parallel relation to define a channel therebetween.

The segment or supporting foot, which is secured to the member 1, comprises a body 8 of substantially rectangular formation and appreciable thickness as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The upper'face of the body is provided with a pair of transverse channels 9 into which the portions 1 of the side plates may extend.

Intermediate the channels there is provided an upstanding boss III, which is adapted to extend upward between the plates I as best shown in Fig. 1. The boss II! is provided with a threaded aperture II adapted to receive a screw I2, the head-I3 of which engages with the cross bar I4 that rests on top of the members 1 of the stapling head and which when tightened causes the segment to be securely held to the body of the stapling machine.

The opposite ends of the segment are machined to'provide each end with vertical ways I5 adapted to receive a tongue I6 of an adjustable shoe member I'I; these ways may be dovetail shaped if desired. As best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the members I 1 may be substantially twice the height of the member 8. Each of these members is provided with a vertically extending slot I8 through which a headed screw I9 extends and is threaded into the member body. This screw may be a shoulder screw so that the member may be secured in place and still remain free to move upward and downward. It will be thus seen that thesemembers are capable of vertical movement on the endsof the segment. This movement is such that the lower ends of the members may be'raised until they are flush with the bottom side 8' of the segment or lowered to a position as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2

where they extend considerably below the bottom.

of the main body of the segment. The screws I9 may be cap screws or screws having wings thereon if desired. It will also be noted that in a predetermined positiorn In this eventpthe screws I9 would be tightened to effect such clamping' action. I

The intermediate portion of the body; 8 is provided at the base thereof with a forwardly projecting curved portion or lip 22, best illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4, the edge of which slants backward and upward toward the body. The

curvature of the lip 22 may be of substantially the same radius as that of the barrel chime. One design of segment may be suitable for stapling several sizes of barrels.

In operation, as shown in Fig. 1, the stapling machine rests on the end of the barrel with the segment in engagement with the barrel head, supporting most of the weight of the stapling machine and with the staple driving head overhanging the side of the barrel. The arm 4 extends over and may rest on the opposite edge or the rim of the barrel. In case the machine is not on a cleat, as when the staples are being driven into the head (Figs. 2, 3 and 4), the shoes I! move upward to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2 with the curved faces 2! of the feet and the lip 22 in engagement with the chime or the inner edges of the staves.

If it is desired to staple the cleat, the stapling machine is placed with the segment on top of the cleat (Fig. 5), in which event the parts I'I drlop downward to the position shown by the dotted on the barrel head and hold the stapling head in the proper position for driving the staple through the chime into the cleat. It can be seen that the members I 4 automatically adjust themselves as to height of the cleat and that the curved parts engage the chime of the barrel, while further stabilization is realized by the engagement of the face 8' of the segment body with thecleat. In this case, the pressure during the stapling opera tion is from the members I1 to the inside of the barrel chime. I 1

The curved surface being in engagement' 'with the staves on the inside of the chimeprovides a means for holding the head and staves against against further movement when 1 the stapling mechanism is operated. The width of the segment affords lateral stability to the devicewhen supported on the head thus assuring that the machine will not tilt and drive the staplesin crooked. It should be borne inmind, however, that the length of the segment as disclosed in the drawings is merely exemplary of a preferred form of the invention and that it could be increased in length should it be desired or even shortened if the general run of barrels are of the smaller size. The curvature will be determined by the size of barrel being stapled.

Having thus described my invention, I" am aware that numerous and extensive departures tending into said shoe body and between said side walls, said shoe having portions extending jlat erally from said side walls, the ends of said shoe being provided with feet, said shoes and feet; being provided with interlocking tongues and; grooves and screw means extending through saidf holding 'saidfeet' feet into said body for adjustably to said body.

2. A shoe for a stapling machine 015" the stapling machine in a predetermined position" for stapling a. barrel, comprising a body portion formed with a vertical way in each end, a pair of members for said each formed with a tongue extendin ginto said way, an elongated vertical open ing in each of said members and screw means extending through said openings and threaded into said body portion adapted for holding said members in predetermined position on said body, said members adapted to rest on the barrel head and formed to engage the chime of the barrel to hold said stapling machine against movement during a stapling operation.

3. In combination with a stapling machine having a stapling head for driving staples through barrel hoops and staves into the heads and cleats of barrels, said stapling head adapted to hang over and below the chime on the outside of the barrel, means on said head extending over the barrel head including a shoe carried by said head spaced from the overhanging portion and comprising a body member said shoe having portions extending laterally from said stapling head, feet carried on the ends of said shoe adapted to engage the chime of a barrel, said feet being formed with vertically extending slots therethrough and said feet and shoe head being provided with interlocking vertically extending tongues and grooves, and screw means extending through said slots into said shoe for holding the feet in self adjusting position on said shoe.

4. In a stapling machine having a staple driving head, means for supporting said head including a member connected thereto and adapted to rest on the head or cleat of 9,. barrel, said member having a curved lip for engagement with the barrel chime and having portions extending laterally therefrom, movable members loosely carried in the ends of said laterally eXtending portions adapted for engagement with the chime of the barrel.

5. In combination with a stapling machine having a stapling head adapted to overhang the edge of a barrel head and to drive staples through the staves into the barrel head, means to support said head in its proper position relative to the barrel head comprising, a member connected to the head and having a body disposed for engagement with the barrel head, said body having portions extending laterally of the stapling head, and movable members disposed on the ends thereof, said movable members having a chime engaging surface, said body being provided with a chime engaging lip intermediate said movable members.

6. In combination with a stapling machine having a stapling head for driving staples through barrel hoops and staves into the heads and cleats of barrels, said stapling head adapted to hang over and below the chime on the outside of the barrel, means on said head extending over the barrel head, a shoe carried by said head spaced from the overhanging portion and comprising a body member, said shoe having portions extend ing laterally from said stapling head, feet for the ends of said shoe adapted to support said shoe at various heights above the barrel head, said feet having vertically extending slots therethrough and said feet and shoe head being provided with interlocking vertically extending tongues and grooves, and screw clamping means extending through said slots into said shoe for clamping the feet in adjusting position on said shoe, said feet being longer than the thickness of said shoe and movable to positions flush with the bottom portion of the shoe and to alternate positions well below the bottom of the shoe.

CLARENCE C. STUE'WE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Schmidtke Apr. 20, 1943 

